Benton County to Receive $20,019 in Funding to Reduce Tobacco Use

Thursday, May 29, 2014 | 10:20am

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, will join other state and local officials on Thursday, June 5, at the Benton County Health Department in Camden to present $20,019 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.

Each county in Tennessee will receive funding during this three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state. All counties are challenged to set goals and select one or more projects that address three topics: eliminating smoking during pregnancy; reducing infants’ and children’s exposure to second-hand smoke; and preventing child and adolescent tobacco use. Benton County will focus its first-year projects on preventing child and adolescent tobacco use and eliminating smoking during pregnancy.

Funding from the Tobacco Settlement was provided to the Tennessee Department of Health for fiscal years 2014-16 to address the state’s high rate of tobacco use and prevent expensive related medical costs. The plan to distribute $15 million over three years has been generated with input from all 95 counties. This plan includes a variety of projects to target behaviors designed to protect the health of Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations: unborn babies, pregnant women and children.